WILLIAMSBURG — A group of high school students leans forward in anticipation as William & Mary Professor of Physics Irina Novikova lowers a balloon into the horizontal path of a bright green laser beam. When the yellow balloon doesn’t pop like its red predecessor, an animated discussion ensues.
That was just one of the moments of discovery that occurred during the Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) program that William & Mary (W&M) hosted on campus June 23-26.
Eighty 9th and 10th-grade students from around Virginia participated in the program, which was organized and funded by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC).
The project seeks to increase the number of high school graduates who pursue STEM careers by expanding students’ access to hands-on STEM experiences. This is W&M’s second year hosting.
W&M Professor of Physics Josh Erlich served as principal investigator and university faculty director for this year’s BLAST program.
“One of the privileges of being a faculty member is the opportunity to demonstrate to the next generation that they can accomplish amazing things if they set their mind to it,” Erlich said. “That’s what BLAST is all about.”
Eighth and ninth grade students who live in Virginia, are interested in STEM and have a C+ or better grade average can apply for the free program through the VSGC’s website. Prior STEM experience is not required.
This year, seven W&M faculty members and seven undergraduates guided BLAST students through activities in synthetic biology, optics, microcontrollers and soldering.
In addition to working through each of the intensive three-hour activities, the BLAST students attended a panel where they learned about the variety of career paths available to majors in STEM disciplines.
“It is crucially important to introduce students to the joys of discovery and teach them that science is fun and that it could have a huge impact on improving people’s lives,” said Margaret Saha, Chancellor Professor of Biology and longtime faculty advisor to W&M’s award-winning iGEM team. “It is also important that we engage in the community to share what we do and explain its importance.”
In Saha’s lab, BLAST participants worked closely with undergraduate iGEM team members.
The instructors explained that undergraduate participation is a key part of the program as it allows the high school students to interact with students just a few years older and observe their passion for science and research.
BLAST students were also able to try their hand at soldering, a skill that incorporates precise hand-eye coordination, close attention to detail and precise following of directions.
On the final evening of the program undergraduate physics majors Sasinowska, Miller and Nguyen hosted a science demo show and served liquid nitrogen ice cream.
BLAST student reviews of the program were decidedly positive.
“I loved how hands-on everything was,” wrote one student. “We didn’t listen to someone talk the whole time; we were able to learn by doing.”
Other students shared that they’d discovered careers that they want to pursue and learned to feel more open to doing things outside of their comfort zones. Several suggested extending the program.
“I think everyone who participated had a blast,” said Erlich, “pun intended.”
